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[DukeFluffy]

Ideally I feel like this data should be visible to the player in game, but I am sure you are working on that.

Are we allowed to comment on the code?  Since you are doing it for free and such.

Yes to both.  The data will eventually be visible, almost certainly with the UI update.  That is going to be the major visual and behind-the-scenes overhaul.

Well it actually can't be (it can be copied over, which isn't the same thing, since changes are not automatically propagated) because there's no good way to access it. Which brings me to my main point: for the love of Knuth, Duke please use arrays and loops (or better yet, dictionaries and structures) that code must be nightmare to debug.

I've already got a billion arrays for the marines, vehicles, and ships.  Works fine as is, plus I've got debugging down pretty well by now.  I will take it under consideration.

Incidentally, since this is the first time I've posted since the dev showed up, cheers, dev. Looking forward to the UI update. Refraining from suggestions until that comes about, heh, but even with the UI being what it is I've definitely enjoyed what I've seen so far.

Happy to hear it.

I just have had to inherit code before... and it wasn't pretty.  Bad code has a way of multiplying.  It's easier to add more code in instead of re-doing everything that exists.  In this case, adding a new type of weapon.  It would be easier to just add another If statement and be done with it, but in the end that doesn't actually save time I don't think.  I have been caught in that trap before, where I step back and go, "What have I created!?" and hope nobody ever has to touch it again.

That being said, I am almost positive the dwarf fortress code is a horrible ungodly mess.  But it's great because Toady actually keeps working on it and improving it.

So, in short, keep it up Duke!  But maybe work on streamlining some of that because it would be easier in the long run!

I've redone the combat engine close to four times now.  The marine initialize variables twice, and any number of other parts of code have also been redone and optimized.  Prettying up up the weapon stats is very, very low on my priority list.  But it will happen eventually- as a1s pointed out, it needs to be redone to be able to be called and displayed on the UI.

[nenjin]

Just curious Duke, what kind of a game do you see CM as? An open-ended sandbox, or kind of an objective-based game that you can win and eventually finish? Being that There Is Only War and so forth, I figure it's the former and that's cool.

[Retropunch]

Just curious Duke, what kind of a game do you see CM as? An open-ended sandbox, or kind of an objective-based game that you can win and eventually finish? Being that There Is Only War and so forth, I figure it's the former and that's cool.

Pleaaasee be the former. I feel as though the whole thing that differentiates the W40k is that IN THE GRIM DARKNESS OF THE FAR FUTURE THERE IS ONLY WAR there isn't really any end in sight - it's just an endless war of attrition.

I could definitely imagine there being more detailed crusades though, which might give nice 'arcs' to playing.

After playing Baldurs Gate 2 again, it reminds me how great the questing is in that - you can complete a whole quest from start to finish in an evening (say the Cult of the Beholder - about 3-4 hours) and feel like you've really accomplished something, but there's still so much more to go at in the overarching sense. More than that though, everything fits together properly and nothing feels like it's just a random side quest which is completely meaningless (even if it is in the overall scope of things) - it feels like a proper adventure that you could sit in a tavern and say 'did I tell you about the time when...'.

Really, all this to say, that I can imagine CM having 'arcs' as you lead your chapter to glory - the great war of such and such, the black crusades of whatever, and so forth. These could be things to be proud of having accomplished and be sort of self contained within their own right, without being 'story' quests which go towards some end point.   

[DukeFluffy]

Just curious Duke, what kind of a game do you see CM as? An open-ended sandbox, or kind of an objective-based game that you can win and eventually finish? Being that There Is Only War and so forth, I figure it's the former and that's cool.

Open-ended sandbox (roguelike?  Soon?).  I've been tempted to have the savegame cleared out when your chapter crumbles to prevent save-skumming, though if I ever do that, there'll be the option to disable it.  Once, you know, I add an options menu.

Pleaaasee be the former. I feel as though the whole thing that differentiates the W40k is that IN THE GRIM DARKNESS OF THE FAR FUTURE THERE IS ONLY WAR there isn't really any end in sight - it's just an endless war of attrition.

I could definitely imagine there being more detailed crusades though, which might give nice 'arcs' to playing.

After playing Baldurs Gate 2 again, it reminds me how great the questing is in that - you can complete a whole quest from start to finish in an evening (say the Cult of the Beholder - about 3-4 hours) and feel like you've really accomplished something, but there's still so much more to go at in the overarching sense. More than that though, everything fits together properly and nothing feels like it's just a random side quest which is completely meaningless (even if it is in the overall scope of things) - it feels like a proper adventure that you could sit in a tavern and say 'did I tell you about the time when...'.

Really, all this to say, that I can imagine CM having 'arcs' as you lead your chapter to glory - the great war of such and such, the black crusades of whatever, and so forth. These could be things to be proud of having accomplished and be sort of self contained within their own right, without being 'story' quests which go towards some end point.

Right now my biggest concern is fixing all the bugs and getting the UI reworked, but that is a very good idea.  Having more of a variety of quests, diplomacy, and "quest chains" would add a lot to the game.  Not giving any sort of time estimate, but that is one of the things I'd like to do eventually.  More detailed crusades are also possible.  A lot of this remains to be seen.

[Retropunch]

Right now my biggest concern is fixing all the bugs and getting the UI reworked, but that is a very good idea.  Having more of a variety of quests, diplomacy, and "quest chains" would add a lot to the game.  Not giving any sort of time estimate, but that is one of the things I'd like to do eventually.  More detailed crusades are also possible.  A lot of this remains to be seen.

I'm very glad you've said that - my biggest problem with a lot of 'indie games' (for want of a better term) is that tons of content gets added in without fixing the bugs or user experience, so I'm sure everyone here is very happy you're working on crushing them and improving the general user experience.

[Robsoie]

Open-ended sandbox (roguelike?  Soon?).  I've been tempted to have the savegame cleared out when your chapter crumbles to prevent save-skumming, though if I ever do that, there'll be the option to disable it.  Once, you know, I add an options menu.

While playing DF adventure mode, it made me think in regards of chapters crumbling.
DF "losing is fun" is because losing has a gameplay value : you can visit the ruins of you crumbled , even fight what's in there or in the case of losing adventurers, they have left a trace of their existence in the world, both in the Legends and in future fortresses you may have a dwarf making an item describing an action of your fallen hero, you can reclaim lost fortresses etc...

Or similarly to Crawl that save your fallen characters into bones file and can use them as "ghosts"

In the context of Chapter Master, i can imagine for a value being given to losing (so the player would accept much more the defeat instead of save scumming) several possibilities :
-ruins of your previous chapters sometime spawning on planets
-similarly to space hulks, you may find derelicts floating warships of your old chapters
-artifacts found or manufactured could have some representation of one of your crumbled chapters
-chaos forces could features troops from a crumbled chapter, as if they had in fact been corrupted by the chaos
-in the same spirit of the "Legion of the Damned" , you could have some ingame event when calling for a crusade in which a mysterious fleet of a crumbled chapter charge in , instead of regular imperial fleets to help and disappear after battle

etc...

[Puzzlemaker]

I have been playing Dawn of War a bit, and I have to say I can't wait for chapter master to come of age.  You gotta love the 40K setting.

[Zangi]

So... has this been updated?  I just noticed a new upload date at the 4chan wiki page for Chapter Master.  (I check it every so often.)

[GentlemanRaptor]

Yes, in fact is has.

Changelog, from the mouth of Duke:

0.62

Major Changes:
Some text is now bold + no longer anti-aliased. Should have more clarity now.
Played with the marine variables- report any crashes this may have spawned
Techmarines should now repair your Dreadnought bros if they are on the same ship/planet

Other Changes:
Obfuscated a few of the silly star names
Leaders should no longer hail you about artifacts when you first meet them
Space Hulks and Craftworlds should no longer teleport to the corner of the map
Chaos worlds, once cleared out, should now return to Imperial control
Inquisition missions should now be more generous with time limitations
Fleets returning from a crusade will now avoid hostile planets and fleets, as well as they can
Other random stuff that I have forgotten

[dennislp3]

Thats good...been waiting for this to update for a while...though really waiting for the UI remake

[Scoops Novel]

Do you plan on fleshing out the actual chapter master player character?

[JohnieRWilkins]

Regarding there being too many units to simulate ground combat: StarCraft original and Brood War had a max unit count of over 1,000 and my win 98 rig could run it flawlessly back then at the limit. Running 10k entities should be well within the realm of reason on modern rigs.

[dennislp3]

It's not necessarily the number of units...but rather fitting them all on screen in a meaningful manner...and yes it does get far more taxing when they all have pathfinding and many other calculations to make

[Puzzlemaker]

Unless it's handled squad-by-squad.  Treat one squad like an entity and poof.

[JohnieRWilkins]

Wouldn't even have to fit them on one screen. Can add map-edge scrolling and bam a self-playing rts.